A MANUAL  OF 


Sorrento  and  Inlaid  Work 

FOE  AMATEURS, 


WITH  ORIGINAL  DESIGNS. 


ARTHUR  HOPE. 


CHICAGO: 

JOHN  WILKINSON,  PUBLISHER. 
1876. 


Copyright,  1876, 

By  JOHN  WILKINSON. 


KNIGHT  & LEONARD,  PRINTERS,  CHICAGO. 


THE  GETTY  CENTFR 

UBRARY 


PKEFACE. 


IT  is  now  twenty  years  since  the  author  of  this  book  began  his 
first  rude  attempts  at  scroll-sawing,  with  a roughly  whittled 
saw-frame,  fitted  with  a blade  made  from  a watch-spring,  its 
teeth,  few  and  far  between,  unevenly  and  laboriously  cut  with  a 
common  file.  Since  then  he  has  watched  the  growth  of  the  art 
in  this  country,  stimulated  by  the  introduction  of  curious  and 
beautiful  articles  of  fret-cutting  from  Germany,  and  inlaid  work 
from  Trance  and  Italy,  and  the  gradual  improvement  in  hand- 
saw frames,  and  blades  of  wondrous  delicacy.  Within  the  past 
four  years,  aided  much  by  the  invention  of  treadle  machines  of 
great  simplicity  and  beauty,  a scroll-sawing  fever  has  swept  over 
the  country,  absorbing  the  attention  of  the  young  and  old.  It 
would  perhaps  be  impossible  to  name  a village,  however  small, 
where  the  fever  had  not  made  its  appearance.  In  many  of  our 
large  cities  scroll-sawing  is  taught  by  experienced  instructors, 
either  in  classes  or  in  private  lessons. 

There  are  many  difficulties  that  beset  the  beginner ; he  buys 
worthless  tools,  and  can  do  nothing  with  them ; or  imagines 
it  is  necessary  to  buy  some  expensive  outfit  that  exceeds  his 
means ; he  tries  to  polish  and  makes  a botch  of  it ; his  wood 
warps,  and  obstinately  refuses  to  be  straight ; his  saws  break, 
and  he  cannot  account  for  it;  his  gluing  doesn’t  hold  together; 


4 


PREFACE. 


and  he  imagines  that  inlaying  can  only  be  done  by  the  experi- 
enced artisan.  To  help  all  such,  to  show  them  just  how  every- 
thing in  the  scroll-sawing  line  is  done,  to  make  everything  clear 
so  that  children  can  teach  themselves,  to  show  ladies  how  they 
can  beautify  their  homes,  to  tell  those  with  scanty  means  how 
few  tools  are  necessary ; and,  lastly,  to  give  them  some  few 
simple,  and  it  is  hoped  tasteful,  designs,  is  the  object  of  this 
book.  How  far  he  falls  short  of  this  his  readers  can  judge  for 
themselves. 

ARTHUR  HOPE. 


New  York,  November,  1876, 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  1. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 
VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

x. 

XI. 

XII. 
XIII. 


Woods,  - 

Preparation  of  Woods,  - 
Applying  the  Design,  - 
Tools,  - 

Making  a Bracket, 

Making  an  Easel,  - - - 

Sandpaper, 

Glue,  Shellac,  Oil  and  Polish,  - 
Glued  Veneers, 

Overlaying,  - 
Inlaying, 

Silhouettes, 

Description  of  Designs, 


CHAPTER  I. 


WOODS. 

SPANISH  cedar,  red  cedar,  white  holly,  black  walnut,  satin, 
tulip,  ebony,  bird’s-eye  maple,  rosewood,  mahogany,  are  the 
ordinary  and  most  desirable  woods  for  scroll-sawing. 

Spanish  Cedar  is  an  excellent  wood  for  the  amateur  to  begin 
sawing  with,  being  soft  and  easily  worked.  Cigar  boxes  are 
generally  made  of  this  wood,  and  will  furnish  all  the  small  pieces 
needed,  at  little  or  no  expense.  The  old  boxes  should  be  carefully 
taken  apart,  and  the  pieces  soaked  in  a basin  of  water.  After 
several  minutes’  immersion  the  paper  can  be  easily  scraped  oft', 
when  the  wood  should  be  placed  on  end  to  dr}",  which  it  will  do 
without  warping.  When  quite  dry,  the  wood  can  be  smoothed 
with  sandpaper  (see  chapter  on  “Sandpaper”).  Very  pretty  brack- 
ets, easels,  frames  or  boxes  can  be  made  of  this  cedar. 

Red  Cedar,  on  account  of  its  fragrance,  is  a pleasant  wood  to 
saw,  and  should  be  about  three-sixteenths  or  a quarter  inch  in 
thickness.  It  is,  however,  very  liable  to  split  or  crack,  and  though 
not  a hard  wood,  rather  hard  to  saw.  It  does  well  for  brackets 
and  easels. 

White  Holly  is  a fine,  close-grained  wood,  very  easy  to  saw, 
and  a universal  favorite.  It  is  used  in  all  thicknesses  from  a veneer 
(about  one  thirty-second  of  an  inch)  to  a quarter  inch,  and  can  be 


8 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


very  highly  polished.  For  all  small  articles,  such  as  card-baskets, 
small  frames,  etc.,  a thickness  of  about  one-sixteenth  inch  or  a trifle 
more  is  preferable.  One-eighth  inch  holly  does  well  for  small 
easels,  brackets,  frames,  paper-knives  and  small  wall  pockets ; while 
for  larger  things,  such  as  easels  and  brackets  intended  to  support 
some  weight,  a thickness  of  three-sixteenths  or  one-quarter  inch 
should  be  used.  As  holly  shows  dirt  easily,  it  is  best  before 
beginning  to  saw  it,  when  it  is  not  to  be  polished,  to  give  it  a coat 
of  bleached  shellac.  For  the  manner  of  using  shellac  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  chapter  on  “ Glues,  Shellac,  etc.” 

Black  Walnut  is  more  used  than  any  other  wood,  is  cheap 
and  easy  to  saw.  All  kinds  of  useful  and  ornamental  articles  are 
made  from  this  wood.  In  bujflng  it,  care  should  be  taken  to  select 
that  which  is  of  a uniform  shade  and  free  from  streaks,  unless  for 
some  work,  an  inlaid  panel  for  instance,  a piece  with  light  streaks 
should  be  wanted.  It  is  seldom  used  thinner  than  one-eighth  inch. 
Brackets  and  easels  should  be  made  of  three-sixteenths  or  one- 
quarter  when  they  are  to  support  any  weight. 

Mahogany  is  a hard,  close-grained  wood,  easy  to  saw,  and 
suitable  for  nearly  all  articles.  One-eighth  is  the  ordinary  thick- 
ness, though  it  is  frequently  used  one-sixteenth  and  three-sixteenths. 
Before  making  brackets,  easels  and  other  open-work  things  this 
wood  should  be  polished.  It  should  be  remarked  here  that  not  a 
little  of  the  wood  commonly  sold  as  mahogany  is  really  a species 
of  cedar. 

Bosewood  has  a close  grain,  takes  a tine  polish,  and  is  difficult 
to  saw.  In  working  it  the  saw  blade  should  occasionally  be  touched 
with  a drop  of  oil  (raw  linseed  or  olive),  as  the  saw  frequently 
encounters  hard,  gummy  places,  in  which,  if  not  oiled,  to  allow  it 


WOODS. 


9 


to  slip  easily,  the  saw  is  apt  to  break.  One  eighth,  three-sixteenths 
and  one-qnarter  inch  are  the  ordinary  thicknesses. 

Satinwood  is  hard  and  close  grained,  yellowish  color,  somewhat 
oily  and  is  very  easily  polished.  It  does  well  for  all  kinds  of  open 
and  inlaid  work.  The  dust  is  quite  fragrant,  and  where  worked  in 
large  quantities  is  said  to  be  injurious  to  health ; but  there  is  no 
danger  in  using  it  for  ordinary  amateur  work.  Wreaths  and  scroll 
work  for  overlaying  on  picture  frames  are  very  beautiful,  and  when 
so  used  the  thickness  should  not  be  over  one-sixteenth  inch.  For 
easels,  brackets,  etc.,  it  should  be  one-eighth  or  three-sixteenths. 

Tulip  is  a finer  and  closer  grained  wood,  reddish  color  and 
usually  streaked.  It  is  excellent  for  paper-knives  and  easels,  and 
takes  a fine  polish.  It  is  rather  expensive,  and  is  commonly  used 
either  in  veneers  or  one-eighth  inch. 

Bird’s-eye  Maple  is  another  close-grained  wood,  somewhat 
gritty  in  sawing,  and  very  beautiful  when  polished.  It  is,  however, 
more  difficult  to  polish  than  many  other  woods,  as  it  requires  so 
much  filling.  It  answers  excellently  for  backgrounds  for  sil- 
houettes. * 

Ebony  is  a very  hard  and  heavy,  close-grained  wood,  nearly 
black  in  color.  It  is  one  of  the  most  expensive  woods  used  in 
scroll-sawing.  To  saw  it  easily,  the  saw-blade  should  be  oiled 
occasionally,  especially  where  the  wood  is  one-eighth  inch  or  more 
in  thickness.  This  is  an  excellent  wood  for  paper-knives  and 

silhouettes,  and  for  inlaying.  It  is  susceptible  of  a very  high 
polish.  A very  beautiful  effect  can  be  produced  by  inlaying  ivory 
in  ebony,  and  the  reverse. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PREPARATION  OF  WOODS. 

BEFORE  attempting  to  saw  anything,  care  should  be  taken  to 
select  a good  piece  of  wood.  If  the  work  to  be  done  is 
delicate,  avoid  using  any  wood  with  knots,  lest  they  should 
cause  a break  in  some  fragile  point.  The  wood  must  also  be 
smoothed  before  sawing,  as  it  is  difficult  to  smooth  or  polish 
open  work  nicely,  on  account  of  the  danger  of  breaking.  Most 
of  the  woods  commonly  used  can  be  procured  with  a smooth 
finish,  though  they  are  rather  expensive.  In  many  of  the  large 
cities  there  are  dealers  who  keep  fine  woods  for  sale,  either 
sawed  or  planed.  When  the  sawed  woods  are  used,  they  need 
to  be  first  scraped  with  a small  rectangular  piece  of  steel  called 
a scraper,  and  afterward  rubbed  smooth  with  sandpaper.  The 
use  of  glass  for  scraping  is  not  advised,  as  it  is  very  apt  to 
scratch  and  spoil  the  wood.  If  a quantity  of  wood  needs  this 
scraping  it  will  save  the  amateur  a good  deal  of  hard  work  if 
he  lets  some  careful  carpenter  do  this  for  him.  Soft  woods,  such 
as  cedar,  poplar,  etc.,  can  be  planed  smooth  enough  by  hand, — 
but  all  hard  woods  must  be  scraped,  or  rubbed  down  with  sand- 
paper. The  planed  woods  that  are  kept  for  sale  usually  require 
sandpapering  to  make  them  fit  for  nice  articles,  though  they  will 

do  well  enough  as  they  are  for  common  work.  If  any  open- 

10 


PREPARATION  OF  WOODS. 


11 


work  pieces  are  to  be  polished,  the  polishing  must  be  done 
before  the  sawing. 

Where  several  things  are  to  be  made  at  once,  the  pieces  of 
wood  can  be  fastened  together  outside  of  the  pattern  with  brads. 
Do  not  use  tacks,  as  they  are  apt  to  split  the  wood.  The  writer’s 
way  of  fastening  woods  together  is  as  follows.  He  cuts  the 
pieces  all  of  uniform  size,  and  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  larger 
than  the  pattern  on  each  side ; between  these  he  places  several 
pieces  of  stiff  paper  cut  the  same  size  as  the  wood,  clamps  them 
together  or  lays  a weight  upon  them,  and  applies  some  glue  to 
the  edges.  In  a few  hours  the  weight  can  be  removed,  and  they 
will  be  found  to  adhere  firmly.  By  this  process  smaller  pieces 
of  wood  can  be  used  than  where  they  are  nailed  together.  The 
paper  placed  between  the  woods  preserves  duplicates  of  the 
patterns. 

For  the  hand-saw,  not  more  than  two  thicknesses  of  one-eighth 
inch  should  be  sawed  at  once,  as  it  is  quite  difficult  to  keep  the 
saw  perpendicular,  and  unless  the  saw  is  held  true  the  under 
piece  is  likely  to  be  spoiled.  With  a good  treadle  saw,  six  or 
eight  pieces  of  one-eighth  inch  can  be  sawed  at  once  with  ease. 
The  writer,  with  his  machine,  a “Fleetwood,”*  frequently  saws 
more  than  this  at  once ; and  of  thinner  woods,  such  as  veneers, 
thirty  can  be  done  at  a time. 

The  amateur  will  frequently  find  in  buying  thin  woods  that 
they  are  warped,  and  he  may  find  it  difficult  to  straighten  them. 
His  difficulty  will  vanish  if  he  treats  the  wood  as  follows.  Hold 
the  concave  side  for  a few  minutes  over  the  steam  from  a boiling 


* He  also  uses  two  other  machines  for  different  kinds  of  work. 


12 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


tea-kettle,  and  then  the  other  side  over  a stove ; as  soon  as  it  is 
straight,  remove  from  the  heat,  hold  firmly  with  the  hands  till 
cold,  lay  it  upon  a smooth  surface,  place  a weight  upon  it,  and 
it  will  dry  flat. 


CHAPTER  III. 


APPLYING  THE  DESIGN. 

THERE  are  several  methods  of  applying  the  design  to  the 
wood,  each  of  which  has  its  advocates.  The  simplest  way  is 
to  paste  the  pattern  directly  on  the  wood.  This  can  be  done  in 
all  cases,  except  on  polished  wood  or  line  white  wood,  which 
might  be  soiled  in  subsequently  removing  the  paper.  After  the 
sawing  is  done  the  paper  easily  comes  off  by  moistening  it. 

Another  way  is  to  fasten  the  pattern  to  the  wood  by  means 
of  a number  of  small  tacks  driven  into  the  parts  that  are  to  be 
cut  away.  In  this  case  it  is  advisable  first  to  paste  the  pattern 
to  a thick  card,  the  edges  of  which  are  less  likely  to  be  torn  by 
the  saw  passing  through.  By  doing  this  the  pattern  will  be 
preserved  for  future  use,  and  it  will  be  easy  to  follow  its  edges 
with  a sharp-pointed  pencil  and  cop}r  the  design  repeatedly. 

Still  another  way  is  to  place  a sheet  of  carbon  or  impression 
paper  (usually  for  sale  at  stationers’)  upon  the  wood,  and  over 
this  lay  the  design.  Then,  with  either  a sharp-pointed  stick  or 
hard  pencil,  follow  carefully  the  lines  of  the  design,  which  the 
carbon  paper  will  transfer  to  the  wood.  This  is  slow  work, 
however,  and  requires  nearly  as  much  care  as  the  sawing  itself. 

Where  printed  designs  are  used,  always  choose  those  printed 
in  light  colors.  Black  designs  are  objectionable,  because  it  is 
difficult  keeping  on  the  line,  especially  when  using  artificial  light. 

13 


■t 


CHAPTER  IT. 


TOOLS. 


HE  tools  required  for  hand-sawing  are  simple  and  inexpensive. 


A saw-frame,  saw-blades,  a rest,  a clamp-screw,  an  awl,  or 
drill-stock,  a file  and  sandpaper.  Of  saw-frames,  the  cheapest  is 
the  ordinary  birch  frame,  twelve,  fourteen  or  sixteen  inches  in 
length,  costing  about  one  dollar.  The  following  cut  will  show 
the  style  of  this  frame: 


Then  there  are  rosewood  frames  of  the  same  shape,  costing 


of  being  stiffer  than  the  birch  frames,  and  have  usually  a better 
style  of  clamp-screw. 


about  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents.  These  have  the  advantage 


14 


TOOLS. 


15 


Another  kind  is  the  steel  saw-frame. 


These  ai'e  preferred  by  many  because  the  clamp-screws  are 
adjustable  and  allow  the  use  of  either  a long  or  short  saw-blade. 
Those  who  break  their  blades  — and  there  are  none  who  do  not  — 
will  find  great  economy  in  using  these  frames,  as  they  can  save 
their  pieces  for  service  a second  time.  The  steel  frames  cost 
about  one  dollar  and  a half. 

Lastly,  we  must  mention  the  beautiful  saw-frame  made  by  the 
Sorrento  Wood  Carving  Company. 

This  is  made  of  rosewood,  is  strong  and  stiff,  and  costs  three 
dollars. 

Saw-blades  are  of  German,  Swiss  or  French  manufacture,  and 
are  from  four  and  a half  to  five  inches  long.  The  sizes  in 
ordinary  use  are  — 

w 


03 

to 


o 

o 


■* 


1G  SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 

In  buying  saw-blades,  choose  only  those  with  sharp  and  regu- 
larly cut  teeth.  For  hand-sawing,  Nos.  0 and  1 are  the  best  sizes, 
unless  for  very  delicate  work,  when  finer  ones  should  be  used.  The 
larger  blades  have  coarse  teeth,  which  are  liable  to  catch  in  the 
work  and  tear  it.  Blades  of  either  of  above  sizes  can  be  used  in 
treadle  machines,  the  size  varying  with  the  kind  of  work  to  be 
done.  The  best  quality  of  saw-blades  cost  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
cents  per  dozen ; poor  blades,  for  half  the  money. 

The  rest  is  a plain  piece  of  inch  pine  about  twenty  inches  long 
by  six  wide,  with  a Y-shaped  opening  at  one  end. 


In  using  the  rest,  the  saw  should  always  be  kept  near  the 
bottom  of  the  Y,  where  the  work  will  be  firmly  supported,  on 
both  sides.  This  rest,  if  bought,  should  not  cost  over  ten  or 
fifteen  cents.  It  is  to  be  placed  upon  the  table  or  bench  with  the 
Y part  projecting,  and  should  be  held  in  position  by  means  of  a 
clamp-screw. 


TOOLS. 


17 


The  above  represents  a cabinet-maker’s  clamp-screw,  of  mal- 
leable iron,  and  adjustable.  This  is  decidedly  better  than  the 
common  cast-iron  screws,  which  break  easily,  and  is  usually  for 
sale  at  hardware  stores.  One  opening  three  inches  costs  about 
thirty-five  cents.  These  clamp-screws  will  be  found  especially 
useful  in  gluing  veneers  or  thicker  woods  together. 

For  all  open  work  it  is  necessary  to  have  something  to  punch 
holes  to  let  the  saw-blade  inside,  and  for  single  thicknesses  of  wood 
a common  brad-awl,  costing  about  ten  cents,  is  sufficient.  But 
where  several  pieces  are  to  be  sawed  at  once,  or  for  delicate  work 
or  brittle  wood,  a drill  stock  is  essential.  The  most  serviceable 
article  of  this  kind  is  a small  drill  stock  of  German  manufacture, 
like  the  cut  below,  which  is  generally  sold,  with  six  drill  points, 


for  about  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents.  It  is  easier  to  drill 
true  with  these  than  with  those  that  are  worked  by  a cog-wheel. 

Next,  one  or  more  files  are  necessary,  to  finish  the  edges  after 
the  saw  has  done  its  work.  A round  file  four  inches  long,  a half- 
round  file  from  two  to  four  inches,  and  a flat  file  the  same  length, 
will  answer  for  all  fine  work,  and  will  cost  from  fifteen  to  twenty- 
five  cents  each. 

Finally,  an  assortment  of  . sandpaper  is  needed,  which  will  be 
more  fully  described  in  the  chapter  on  that  subject. 

2 


18 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


TREADLE  SAWS. 

By  all  means,  where  the  amateur  can  afford  the  expense,  a 
treadle  saw  should  be  procured.  The  better  class  will  do  the  most 
delicate  work,  can  be  run  with  great  ease,  and  will  cut  from  eight 
to  twenty  or  thirty  pieces  at  a time, — the  number  varying  of  course 
with  the  thickness  of  the  wood, — and  leave  the  edges  of  the  work 
perfectly  smooth,  so  that  a file  is  seldom  required.  There  are  many 
treadle  machines  in  market,  differing  in  quality  as  well  as  price. 
It  would  obviously  be  improper  in  a work  of  this  kind  to  advocate 
any  particular  machine.  There  are  few  that  have  not  some  good 
points  about  them.  Advertisements  of  various  machines  will 
doubtless  appear  at  the  end  of  this  book,  and  to  them  the  reader’s 
attention  is  directed. 

In  using  treadle  machines  the  saw-blades  should  be  inserted 
with  the  teeth  pointing  downward  and  toward  the  operator.  The 
wood  should  be  guided  by  the  fingers,  while  the  wrists  rest  firmly 
on  the  edges  of  the  table.  Always  keep  the  running  parts  of  the 
machine  clean  and  well  oiled,  for,  with  proper  care,  one  should  last 
a lifetime. 


CHAPTER  V. 


MAKING  A BRACKET. 


S a first  lesson,  the  amateur  should  take  a piece  of  cigar-box 


wood,  or  any  other  thin  wood  that  may  be  at  hand,  and 
mark  thereon  a series  of  straight  and  curved  lines.  Then  lay  the 
wood  on  the  rest,  holding  it  down  with  the  left  hand,  fasten  a No. 
1 blade  in  the  frame,  and  begin  sawing,  being  careful  to  keep  on 
the  line.  Work  the  frame  firmly  and  always  in  one  direction, 
keeping  the  blade  perpendicular,  and  turn  the  wood  that  the  saw 
may  follow  the  pattern.  After  the  motion  of  the  saw  is  learned, 
and  the  beginner  can  saw  straight  or  follow  a curve,  let  him  mark 
on  his  wood  several  Ys  and  squares.  To  saw  the  Y,  begin  at  the 
upper  end  and  saw  down  to  the  point;  then  back  the  saw  out  and 
saw  from  the  other  end  down  to  the  point.  If  the  line  is  carefully 
followed,  this  will  leave  a sharp,  clean  cut  angle  at  the  point.  To 
cut  out  a square  hole,  saw  down  to  the  angle,  then  work  the  blade 
rapidly  up  and  down  to  make  a place  large  enough  for  the  saw  to 
turn  in,  and  then  turn  the  wood  at  right  angles  and  saw  along  the 
line  to  the  other  corner,  when  the  same  operation  is  to  be  repeated. 
When  the  beginner  can  make  straight  lines  and  curved  lines  well, 
and  cut  out  an  angle  nicely,  he  will  be  ready  to  commence  a 
bracket. 

Now  take  a piece  of  wood,  say  one-eighth  thick,  smooth  it  with 


19 


20 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


sandpaper,  and  apply  tlie  design  as  before  described.  The  acorn 
bracket,  Plate  I,  at  the  end  of  this  book,  will  serve  for  an  example. 
Note  this  precaution, — before  tracing  a pattern  on  the  wood,  always 
study  the  design  to  see  which  way  the  grain  of  the  wood  should 
run ; in  this  case  it  should  run  up  and  down,  for  if  it  ran  across  the 
bracket,  the  stems  of  the  acorns  might  easily  break.  Mark  a point 
on  each  part  to  be  cut  out,  and  drill  holes,  smoothing  off  the  under 
side  that  the  work  may  turn  easily.  As  it  is  better  to  cut  out  the 
inside  first,  pass  the  blade  through  one  of  the  holes  and  saw  in  the 
direction  shown  by  the  dotted  lines.  Cut  the  angles  as  sharply  as 
possible,  to  save  the  labor  of  afterward  finishing  them  with  a file. 
In  commencing  at  A,  it  will  be  best  to  saw  first  along  the  line  to 
JD;  then  back  the  saw  out  to  A and  saw  along  the  other  side  of 
the  point  around  to  D again,  when  the  piece  will  drop  out.  And, 
again,  in  sawing  around  the  acorn,  begin  at  X and  saw  up  to  C, 
and  around  the  stem  to  I,  thence  along  the  point  to  C,  when  the 
piece  of  wood  will  fall  out,  and  the  sawing  can  then  proceed  from 
the  end  of  the  pointed  piece  in  the  direction  of  T.  In  finishing 
the  acorn,  it  would  not  do  to  start  afterward  at  S and  saw  along 
toward  V,  as  in  that  case,  after  the  saw  had  reached  V.  there  would 
be  left  nothing  but  the  slender  stem  to  support  the  wood,  and 
in  sawing  toward  X the  acorn  would  probably  break  off.  On  the 
contrary,  the  acorn  should  be  finished  by  sawing  from  X toward  V. 

When  the  main  part  of  the  bracket  has  been  cut  out,  a semi- 
circular piece  of  wood  should  be  cut  out  for  the  shelf.  Then  lay 
the  bracket  upon  the  wood,  and  with  a sharp  pencil  trace  thereon 
either  the  right  or  left  half.  This  is  then  to  be  sawed  out  in  the 
same  way  as  the  bracket,  and  is  for  a support  to  the  shelf.  Now 
take  a small  half-round  file  and  file  all  the  corners  true,  and 


MAKING  A BRACKET. 


21 


straighten  all  the  edges  where  the  saw  has  wandered  from  the 
line.  Next,  take  the  sandpaper  block  (see  chapter  on  “ Sandpaper,” 
and  with  it  rub  the  bracket  carefully  till  all  the  pencil  marks 
have  disappeared.  The  edges  on  the  under  side  will  be  found 
to  be  ragged,  but  the  sandpaper  will  make  them  smooth.  Nothing 
now  remains  but  to  fasten  the  work  together.  There  are  several 
methods  of  doing  this. 

Either  small  brads  or  screws  can  be  used,  or  if  the  design  is 
small,  glue  alone  will  answer.  Brads  are  objectionable  in  all 
small  brackets  or  thin  woods,  as  the  work  is  liable  to  break  while 
driving  them  in.  Where  the  bracket  is  intended  for  use  and  to 
carry  some  weight,  the  shelf  and  support  should  be  fastened  with 
screws.  To  do  this,  mark  the  points  where  screws  are  to  go  and 
drill  holes  in  the  back  of  bracket  large  enough  for  the  screws  to 
pass  through  easily.  Then  apply  the  support  and  mark  points 
exactly  corresponding  to  the  holes  in  the  bracket.  A small  hole 
should  be  made  in  the  support  at  these  points  to  start  the  screw. 
Then  put  in  the  screws  and  fasten  the  work  together.  Before 
making  these  holes  in  the  bracket  the  design  should  be  examined 
to  see  that  the  screws  will  enter  the  support  at  a place  where 
the  wood  is  thick  enough.  In  the  design  before  us  the  points 
marked  Z would  be  the  proper  places  for  the  screws. 

For  small  brackets,  glue  alone  will  be  sufficient,  and  instruc- 
tions for  using  glue  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  that  subject. 

In  making  a large  bracket,  small  brass  hinges  can  be  used  to 
advantage  in  fastening  the  support  and  shelf,  so  that  they  can 
be  shut  up  for  transportation. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


MAKING  AN  EASEL. 


H easel  generally  consists  of  three  parts  — the  upright,  the  leg 


and  the  shelf.  Take  the  pattern  shown  in  plate  II,  and 
prepare  the  wood  as  before  described.  The  several  parts  are  to 
be  cut  out  in  the  same  way  as  the  bracket.  In  cutting  the 
veins  in  the  leaves,  a very  small  hole  should  be  drilled  near 
where  the  stem  joins,  and  the  veins  sawed  with  a fine  saw.  In 
case  a leaf  has  no  other  support  than  its  stem,  to  avoid  breaking, 
the  veins  should  be  cut  before  the  outside  of  the  leaf.  If  the 
wood  is  holly,  or  of  a light  color  and  close  grain,  a very  pretty 
effect  will  be  produced  by  marking  the  veins,  and  also  the  out- 
side of  the  leaf  (where  it  lays  upon  other  parts  of  the  design), 
with  India  ink.  The  veins  shown  in  the  design  are  for  sawing 
only ; in  case  India  ink  is  used,  other  and  more  delicate  veins 
can  be  added  with  the  pen,  as  in  one  lower  leaf. 

Having  cut  out  all  the  parts,  smoothed  the  surface  and  edges, 
the  shelf  can  be  fastened  in  its  proper  place  with  glue.  In  this 
design  the  shelf  is  simply  a straight  piece  of  wood,  four  and 
one-half  inches  long  by  three-fourths  wide,  and  is  to  have  a peg 
at  each  end  to  hold  a book  open  or  keep  a picture  in  its  place. 

How  comes  the  leg,  in  fastening  which  to  the  upright  con- 
siderable difficulty  is  frequently  experienced.  These  are  the  best 


22 


AN  EASEL. 


23 


ways:  Take  a hinge,  and  with  small  screws  fasten  one  part  to 
the  end  of  the  leg  first ; then  lay  the  leg  on  the  back  of  the 
upright,  and  when  the  hinge  is  in  the  right  position  (which  can 
be  ascertained  by  holding  it  in  place  with  the  fingers  and  trying 
it  to  see  if  the  easel  stands  square)  mark  the  spots  for  the 
screw  holes  and  put  in  the  screws. 

The  following  cut  will  show  this  more  plainly : 


Notice  the  direction  of  the  screws. 

Another  good  way  is  to  cut  two  pieces  of  one-eighth  wood 
in  this  shape: 


Drill  a small  hole  in  them,  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  from 
the  flat  side.  Glue  these  to  the  back  of  the  easel,  far  enough 
apart  to  let  the  leg  go  between  them.  Then  drill  a hole  in  the 
leg  about  one-fourth  inch  from  the  end,  place  the  leg  between 
the  two  ears,  and  pass  a wire  or  round  peg  of  hard  wood 
through  the  holes.  This  mode  of  fastening  the  leg  will  be  found 
advantageous  when  the  wood  is  too  thin  for  screws. 


I 


CHAPTER  VII. 


SANDPAPER. 

IT  would  seem  as  if  sandpapering  were  one  of  the  easiest  and 
simplest  matters,  and  yet  there  are  few  things  connected  with 
this  art  that  are  so  little  understood.  The  ordinary  way  with 
the  novice  is  to  tear  off  a piece  of  sandpaper,  hold  it  with  his 
fingers,  and  rub  the  wood  with  it.  This  method  is  very  likely 
to  lead  to  bad  results.  If  it  is  a piece  of  open  work  that  needs 
smoothing  the  paper  takes  off  too  much  wood  at  the  edges,  and 
rounds  them  off.  Or,  if  it  is  a flat  piece  of  wood,  the  fingers 
bear  on  harder  in  some  places  than  others,  and  make  the  surface 
uneven. 

How,  there  are  two  ways  to  sandpaper  nicely.  If  the  piece 
of  work  is  small,  like  the  bracket  before  described,  for  instance, 
fasten  a whole  sheet  of  sandpaper  to  your  bench  or  a flat, 
smooth  board,  and  rub  the  wood  over  it.  This  is  the  best 
method  for  all  small  articles.  For  general  purposes,  however,  it 
is  best  to  make  a sand-board,  which  is  done  in  this  way:  Cut- 
two  pieces  of  smooth  pine,  three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick,  three 
inches  wide  and  four  long ; through  one  of  them  put  three 
slender  screws  in  a line  and  one  and  one-half  inches  apart,  long 
enough  when  the  heads  are  driven  in  flush  with  the  wood  to 
have  the  points  project  about  one-fourth  inch  on  the  other  side. 

24 


SANDPAPER. 


25 


File  these  points  sharp,  and  make  corresponding  holes  in  the 
other  block.  Flow  cut  a piece  of  sandpaper  four  inches  wide 
and  seven  and  one-half  long,  and  lay  one  end  upon  the  screw 
points,  pressing  them  through  the  paper.  Then  stretch  the 
paper'  tightly  around  the  block,  and  fasten  the  other  end  upon 
the  points.  Lay  upon  this  the  other  block,  and  fasten  the  two 
together  with  a screw  at  each  end.  A pair  of  common  screw- 
eyes  that  are  used  for  hanging  picture  frames  will  be  useful  for 
this  purpose.  It  would  be  well  to  have  two  sets  of  these  blocks 
made  to  hold  coarse  and  fine  sandpaper.  How  lay  the  work 
upon  the  bench,  hold  it  with  one  hand  and  rub  with  the  sand- 
board,  carefully  and  briskly,  and  with  a circular  motion.  If  the 
wood  is  at  all  rough,  begin  with  Flo.  1 sandpaper,  and  finish 
with  Ho.  00.  Before  using  the  paper  on  any  fine  work  examine 
it  carefully,  and  pick  out  any  large  pieces  of  sand  which  might 
score  the  wood. 

If  the  amateur  is  fortunate  enough  to  possess  a turning-lathe 
he  will  find  that  the  following  contrivance  will  save  him  a great 
deal  of  labor:  Make  (or  have  them  made  by  some  turner) 

several  cylinders  of  wood,  four  inches  long  and  three  and  one- 
half  in  diameter.  Stretch  around  one  of  these  a half  sheet  of 
sandpaper,  and  glue  the  two  ends  to  the  wood.  Set  this  in  the 
lathe,  revolve  rapidly,  and  it  will  smooth  the  wood  very  quickly. 
The  writer  uses  half  a dozen  of  these  cylinders,  with  a diffez’ent 
number  of  sandpaper  on  each. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


GLUE,  SHELLAC,  OIL  AND  POLISH. 


O amateur  can  have  a complete  outfit  without  a glue-pot ; 


indeed,  no  family  should  be  without  one,  and  every  one  should 
know  how  to  use  it.  The  use  of  glue,  however,  is  little  understood, 
and  it  is  too  often  found  that  articles  carelessly  glued  together  do 
not  adhere  firmly.  A careful  attention  to  the  ensuing  remarks 
will  enable  anyone  to  make  solid  joints.  The  glue-pot  should  be 
double, — one  pot  within  another.  They  are  for  sale  at  all  hard- 
ware stores,  and  cost  all  the  wray  from  fifty  cents  up.  The  outer 
pot  is  to  be  partly  filled  with  water,  the  inner  one  contains  the 
glue.  The  ordinary  white  glue  is  the  strongest,  and  should  be 
broken  into  small  pieces.  Put  these  in  the  pot  and  cover  them 
with  cold  water.  Then  place  the  pot  upon  the  stove,  and  let  the 
water  boil.  This  will  soon  dissolve  the  glue,  which  should  be  of 
the  consistency  of  thin  cream.  If  it  is  too  thick,  add  more  water 
and  let  it  boil  a little  longer ; if  too  thin,  add  a little  more  glue. 
Have  a small  brush  to  apply  it  to  the  wood.  Do  not  use  a stick  for 
this  purpose,  as  many  do,  but  have  a brush.  Warm  the  wood,  and 
always  remember  that  the  glue  must  be  applied  hot.  If  it  is 
allowed  to  cool,  though  still  liquid,  it  will  not  make  a strong  joint. 
Press  the  parts  together,  so  as  to  squeeze  out  all  the  glue  possible. 

If  the  wood  is  of  a shape  that  admits  of  it,  clamp  the  pieces  stoutly 

26 


GLUE,  SHELLAC,  OIL  AND  POLISH. 


27 


together  and  let  them  stand  for  several  hours.  If  damps  cannot 
be  used,  bind  the  parts  together  with  cord,  or  lay  weights  upon 
them. 

Turn  back  now  to  the  small  bracket,  and  see  how  the  support 
should  be  glued  to  the  main  part.  Drill  two  or  three  holes  at  the 
points  Z,  and  make  corresponding  holes  in  the  edge  of  the  support. 
Cut  short  pegs  and  put  them  in  the  holes.  These  will  serve  to 
hold  the  parts  in  their  place  till  the  glue  has  set.  Now  warm  the 
edge  of  the  support,  apply  the  glue,  and  join  the  parts  together, 
the  pegs  in  the  support  entering  the  holes  in  the  bracket.  Then 
lay  the  bracket  on  a table,  have  some  small  sticks  about  a foot  long, 
put  the  ends  from  opposite  sides  in  the  open  spaces  of  the  support, 
letting  the  other  ends  rest  on  the  table,  and  on  these  sticks  lay  a 
book  or  some  other  weight.  In  this  way  the  two  parts  will  be  held 
firmly  together  till  the  glue  hardens.  To  glue  on  the  shelf  apply 
the  glue  to  the  edge  of  the  back  and  support,  lay  the  whole  on  a 
sheet  of  paper  on  the  table,  put  on  the  shelf,  and  hold  it  in  its 
position  by  placing  a heavy  weight  against  it  on  one  side  while 
other  weights  are  laid  on  the  bracket. 


SHELLAC. 

A very  fair  finish  can  be  put  upon  most  close-grained  woods  by 
simply  using  shellac.  To  prepare  it,  take  a small  bottle  of  alcohol, 
and  fill  it  about  one-quarter  full  of  bleached  shellac  (for  sale  at  all 
drug  stores)  broken  into  small  pieces,  which  will  be  dissolved  after 
standing  several  hours.  It  can  be  rubbed  on  the  wrood  with  a 
small  piece  of  sponge  or  wad  of  cotton.  It  dries  almost  imme- 
diately, so  that  several  coats  can  be  applied  in  a few  minutes. 


28 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


White  holly  is  very  much  improved  and  rendered  less  liable  to  soil 
and  catch  dirt  if  it  be  given  a coat  of  shellac  and  afterward  rubbed 
down  with  very  fine  sandpaper.  Where  it  is  desired  to  use  India 
ink  on  holly  for  marking  veins  of  leaves,  as  in  the  case  of  the  easel 
before  described,  to  prevent  the  ink  spreading  the  wood  should 
have  one  or  two  coats  of  shellac,  and  afterward  be  rubbed  down 
very  smooth  as  above.  The  shellac  fills  up  the  pores  of  the  wood. 

OIL. 

A very  good  dead  finish  can  be  given  to  black  walnut  by 
rubbing  on  it  boiled  linseed  oil,  and,  after  this  has  been  absorbed, 
rubbing  it  down  with  soft  paper.  One  or  two  coats  of  shellac 
afterward  applied  will  give  the  wood  a very  fair  polish. 

FRENCH  POLISHING. 

This  is  by  far  the  finest  way  for  finishing  woods,  but  requires 
care  and  patience.  Prepared  French  polish  is  generally  for  sale 
at  paint  stores,  or  wherever  they  keep  artists’  materials,  or  supplies 
for  amateur  scroll-sawing.  A small  bottle  of  McIntyre’s  London 
Polish,  or  any  other  good  polish,  will  be  sufficient  for  the  wants  of 
most  amateurs.  If  the  amateur  cannot  find  it  in  his  own  town, 
and  desires  a large  quantity  of  it,  the  following  recipe  will  answer : 
Into  a pint  bottle  of  alcohol  put  one  quarter  ounce  of  gum  copal, 
one  quarter  ounce  of  gum  arabic  and  one  ounce  shellac,  all  ground 
fine ; cork  the  bottle  tight,  and  let  it  stand  in  a warm  place  near 
a stove,  and  be  shaken  occasionally.  After  two  or  three  days  the 
gums  will  be  nearly  dissolved.  Then  strain  through  a piece  of 
muslin,  and  keep  corked  for  use. 


GLUE,  SHELLAC,  OIL  AND  POLISH. 


29 


Now  for  its  application.  In  the  first  place,  the  wood  must  be 
smooth.  Use  the  finest  sandpaper,  and  be  careful  to  take  out 
every  scratch,  which  will  be  sure  to  show  badly  after  polishing. 
When  the  wood  is  thus  prepared,  if  it  is  a close-grained  wood, 
such  as  holly  or  satin,  give  it  a coat  of  shellac,  and  smooth  this  off 
with  the  sandpaper.  Then  take  a small  wad  of  cotton  wool,  pour 
a little  polish  on  it,  and  rub  over  the  wood.  This  first  coat  will 
be  absorbed,  and  after  it  dries  pour  a little  more  polish  on  the  wad, 
wrap  this  in  a piece  of  soft  linen  or  cotton,  apply  to  the  outside  a 
drop  or  two  of  either  raw  linseed  oil  or  sweet  oil,  and  rub  the 
wood  briskly  with  a circular  motion.  If  the  wTad  gets  sticky,  apply 
a little  more  oil.  After  a few  minutes’  rubbing  let  the  wood  stand 
a little  while  to  dry,  and  then  go  over  it  again  with  polish  and 
oil,  repeating  this  process  several  times.  Avoid  using  too  much 
polish,  or  it  may  take  off  the  polish  previously  applied.  For  the 
last  one  or  two  coats  it  is  better  to  use  a thinner  polish  made  by 
mixing  one  part  of  the  polish  with  two  parts  of  alcohol.  After 
a little  experience,  and  one  or  two  failures,  the  amateur  will  be 
able  to  polish  beautifully. 

Where  the  wood  is  of  an  open  grain,  such  as  walnut,  cedar,  maple, 
etc.,  it  is  necessary  after  smoothing  them  to  rub  them  down  with 
a coat  of  light  or  dark  filling,  according  to  the  color  of  the  woods. 
This  filling  can  be  obtained  at  nearly  all  places  where  the  polish 
is  kept.  The  filling  should  dry  about  twenty  minutes,  then  he 
rubbed  off  with  a cloth  or  soft  paper,  and  the  wood  sandpapered 
smooth.  After  this  put  on  a coat  of  shellac,  sandpaper  smooth 
and  apply  polish  as  before. 

Where  brackets  or  any  open-work  pieces  are  to  be  polished,  it 
should  be  done  before  the  sawing ; otherwise,  in  rubbing  the  work, 


30 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


small  pieces  are  liable  to  be  broken  off,  and  the  polish  will  stain 
the  edges  of  the  wood. 

As  polishing  is  a tedious  process,  amateurs  can  save  themselves 
some  trouble  by  sending  their  work  to  a polisher,  wdio  can  be 
found  wherever  fine  furniture  is  manufactured. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


GLUED  VENEERS. 

IN  fret-work  articles  a very  pretty  effect  can  be  produced  by 
using  what  are  called  glued  veneers.  These  can  be  obtained 
of  dealers  in  sawing  materials,  costing  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
cents  per  square  foot.  They  are  made  either  of  two  veneers 
glued  on  the  front  and  back  of  some  cheap  wood,  such  as  poplar 
or  walnut,  or  three  veneers  glued  together.  As  the  amateur  may 
frequently  want  a combination  of  veneers  of  different  colors  to 
those  usually  sold,  he  should  know  how  to  arrange  them  for 
himself.  A popular  kind  is  to  have  holly  outside,  with  black 
inside.  Cut  two  pieces  of  holly  of  the  required  size  and  one 
piece  of  black,  with  its  grain  running  at  right  angles  to  that  of 
the  holly.  Have  two  blocks  of  smooth,  flat  wood,  about  a foot 
square,  or  larger,  and  some  strong  clamp-screws,  either  wooden  or 
iron.  "Warm  the  veneers,  make  the  glue  rather  thin,  apply  it 
freely  to  one  piece  of  the  holly,  and  lay  the  black  upon  this. 
Then  put  glue  on  the  other  piece  of  holly,  place  this  upon  the 
black  and  clamp  the  whole  very  tightly  together  between  tbe 
blocks,  having  a sheet  of  paper  next  to  the  blocks  to  prevent 
the  surplus  glue  from  adhering  to  them.  They  should  be  kept 
under  pressure  till  the  glue  has  thoroughly  hardened.  Then  they 
can  be  removed  and  the  outsides  smoothed  for  use  with  sand- 


31 


32 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


paper.  It  is  necessary  to  have  three  veneers  to  prevent  warping. 
This  way  of  arranging  woods  will  be  found  of  great  advantage 
when  one  has  to  saw  out  any  very  delicate  work,  as  the  inner 
piece  of  wood,  having  its  grain  cross  the  others,  makes  the  whole 
very  strong  and  less  liable  to  break. 


CHAPTER  X. 


OVERLAYING. 

WHEN  the  amateur  has  mastered  his  saw,  so  that  he  can  cut 
out  intricate  patterns  easily,  he  should  commence  overlay- 
ing. At  a picture  dealer’s  procure  a flat  frame,  from  one  and 
one-half  to  two  or  three  inches  in  width,  of  either  gilt  or  pol- 
ished natural  or  dyed  wood.  Saw  out  a border  of  tracery  or 
scroll  work  of  one-sixteenth  wood  (previously  polished)  and  fasten 
it  to  the  frame  with  gilt  or  silver  escutcheon  pins.  The  effect 
will  be  very  beautiful  if  the  work  is  carefully  done.  Designs 
for  this  class  of  work  can  be  purchased  of  all  dealers.  Very 
pretty  patterns  can  often  be  found  stamped  in  the  covers  of 
books. 

At  the  end  of  this  book  will  be  found  two  designs  for  over- 
laid frames,  the  one  with  oak  leaves  in  the  corners,  and  the 
wreath  of  ivy  leaves.  The  main  parts  can  be  made  of  either 
polished  wood  or  velvet.  To  prepare  the  latter,  cut  out  a piece 
of  one-eighth  pine  with  the  oval  in  center,  and  cut  a piece  of 
velvet  about  half  an  inch  larger  each  way.  Glue  the  velvet 
upon  one  side  of  the  wood,  cut  a Y-shaped  piece  out  of  each 
corner  of  the  velvet,  fold  the  edges  over  and  glue  to  the  other 
side.  When  it  is  dry,  cut  the  oval  out  of  the  velvet  a little 
smaller  than  the  wood,  and  turn  this  edge  in  so  that  from  the 
3 33 


34 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


front  nothing  but  velvet  shows.  Then  glue  to  the  back  three 
strips  of  wood  one-quarter  inch  wide,  placing  them  about  an  inch 
from  the  sides  and  bottom,  and  to  these  strips  glue  a piece  of 
pine  to  hold  the  picture.  If  this  is  then  covered  with  book- 
binders’ muslin  the  back  will  be  complete. 

The  wreath  of  ivy  leaves,  for  instance,  having  been  sawed, 
of  one-sixteenth  wood  or  veneer,  lay  it  upon  the  velvet,  and 
when  adjusted  to  the  proper  place,  stick  two  or  three  pins  into 
the  velvet  through  the  spaces  between  the  stems.  Then  remove 
the  wreath,  apply  a touch  of  glue  to  the  center  of  each  leaf, 
being  careful  to  do  this  to  the  right  side,  and  lay  it  again  on 
the  velvet,  the  pins  guiding  it  to  the  proper  place.  Remove  the 
pins,  place  a light  weight  upon  the  wreath  till  the  glue  has 
hardened,  and  the  frame  is  done. 

If  the  wreath  is  to  be  put  upon  a polished  surface  in  place 
of  the  velvet,  it  will  be  necessary  to  secure  it  with  escutcheon 
pins,  or  to  scratch  off  a little  of  the  polish  under  each  leaf  to 
make  the  glue  adhere. 

Brackets  or  frames  of  plain  design  will  be  very  much  im- 
proved by  overlaying  on  them  a leaf  or  cluster  of  leaves,  or  a 
head  or  any  other  ornament,  cut  out  of  another  kind  of  wood. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


INLAYING. 


HIS  is  the  most  beautiful  part  of  scroll-sawing,  and  should  be 


well  understood  by  every  amateur.  At  first  thought  it  may 
strike  the  beginner  that,  in  order  to  inlay  one  piece  of  wood  in 
another,  it  is  necessary  first  to  cut  out  the  pattern  from  the  one 
and  afterward  very  carefully  to  cut  the  same  pattern  a trifle 
smaller  from  a different  wood,  and  fit  it  into  the  former  piece. 
Inlaying  could  be  done  in  this  way,  but  it  would  be  attended 
with  considerable  difficulty,  as  in  both  cases  the  pattern  would 
need  to  be  followed  with  great  nicety.  There  is  a far  simpler 
way  than  this,  and  it  consists  in  sawing  the  design  out  of  hvo 
woods  at  the  same  time. 

For  example,  take  the  design  of  the  paper-knife  with  an  oak 
leaf  in  the  handle.  Suppose  we  wish  to  make  the  knife  of  wal- 
nut and  inlay  with  a satinwood  leaf.  Take  a piece  of  walnut 

one  and  one-half  inches  wide  and  nine  inches  long,  and  cut  a 

piece  of  satin  the  same  size ; fasten  the  two  together  with  a brad 
in  each  corner;  trace  the  design  upon  the  satin, — or  paste  it 
on, — and  with  a very  fine  drill,  which  should  be  as  small  as  a 
pin  if  possible,  make  a hole  through  both  woods  at  the  lower 

end  of  the  vein.  Use  a Ho.  0 saw  blade,  and  cut  all  the  veins. 

Then  drill  another  small  hole  at  the  end  of  the  short  twig,  and 


3G 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


witli  a very  fine  saw  blade,  No.  000,  proceed  to  cut  out  the  leaf 
and  acorn.  In  doing  this  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  on  the 
line.  The  fine  blade  will  turn  the  sharpest  corner.  If  the  saw 
gets  off  the  line  keep  right  on  and  get  back  to  the  line  as  soon 
as  possible,  as  this  will  not  prevent  the  woods  inlaying,  though 
it  may  mar  the  beauty  of  the  figure.  Saw  all  the  way  around 
the  leaf  and  twig  and  acorn  to  the  place  of  starting,  and  the 
leaves  will  drop  out.  Then  the  little  figure  in  the  blade  of  the 
knife  can  be  cut  out  in  the  same  manner,  if  it  is  desired  to  inlay 
that  part,  or  it  can  be  left  as  an  open  space.  Now  cut  out  the 
outside  of  the  knife,  and  the  work  of  the  saw  will  have  been 
done.  Get  the  glue-pot  ready,  take  the  walnut  knife,  and  lay 
the  glue  around  the  inside  edges  of  the  leaf  opening.  Insert 
quickly  in  this  the  satin  leaf,  lay  the  whole  upon  a piece  of 
paper  on  the  table,  and  with  the  brush  work  some  glue  into 
the  veins,  and  also  lay  a little  more  glue  along  the  edges  of  the 
inlay.  Place  the  handle  of  the  knife  between  two  blocks  of 
wood,  with  paper  on  each  side  to  prevent  the  glue  adhering  to 
them,  and  clamp  them  tightly  together.  The  pressure  will  force 
the  surplus  glue  into  the  veins,  and  will  fill  all  the  space  around 
the  edge.  The  walnut  leaf  can  then  be  glued  into  the  satin 
knife  in  the  same  way.  After  the  glue  has  had  time  to  harden, 
which  should  take  half  a day,  the  paper  can  be  removed  by 
slightly  moistening  and  scraping  it,  and  the  surface  of  the  handle 
smoothed  off  with  file  and  sandpaper.  If,  after  this  is  done, 
some  small  holes  are  noticed  in  the  edge  or  veins  of  the  leaf, 
they  can  be  filled  with  a touch  of  glue.  This  will  harden  in  a 
short  time,  and  after  making  the  blade  of  the  knife  sharp  with 
file  and  sandpaper,  the  handle  can  again  be  smoothed  and 


INLAYING  VENEERS. 


37 


polished  if  desired.  The  result  is  two  paper-knives,  one  of  wal- 
nut inlaid  with  satin  leaf,  the  other  of  satin  with  a walnut  leaf. 
Notice  that  when  a light  wood  is  inlaid  in  a dark  wood,  or  vice 
versa,  the  cut  made  by  the  saw  hardly  shows,  as  it  is  filled  with 
glue  which  is  nearty  the  color  of  the  darker  wood.  It  some- 
times happens  that  no  fine  drill  is  at  hand  to  make  the  hole  for 
the  saw.  If  a coarse  drill  is  used,  or  if  a small  piece  of  the 
inlay  should  be  broken  off  and  lost,  it  will  be  necessary  to  fit 
another  piece  of  wood  into  the  hole,  or  fill  it  with  a mixture  of 
glue  and  sawdust. 

INLAYING  VENEERS. 

Now  take  the  ivy-leaf  paper-knife  and  inlay  with  veneers. 
And  for  this  it  is  supposed  that  the  amateur  has  a first-class 
treadle  machine,  which  will  run  perfectly  true  and  carry  the 
finest  saws.  Cnt  six  or  eight  pieces  of  colored  veneers,  some 
green,  red,  black,  white,  etc'.,  each  two  by  nine  inches.  Cut  also 
two  pieces  of  one-sixteenth  wood  the  above  size,  one  of  holly  and 
one  of  walnut.  Place  the  veneers  between  these  and  fasten  to- 
gether by  gluing  the  edges.  These  thicker  pieces  of  wood  are 
used  to  strengthen  the  veneers  while  sawing,  and  to  prevent 
breaking  off  any  delicate  portions.  Apply  the  design  and  saw  the 
veins  as  described  above ; then  drill  a fine  hole  at  one  end  of  the 
vine,  and  saw  along  the  vine  to  the  point  where  it  is  covered  by 
the  leaf,  then  along  the  edge  of  leaf  and  back  along  the  other  side 
of  vine  to  starting  point.  The  six  or  eight  stems  will  drop  out, 
and  can  be  placed  in  a box  or  by  themselves,  with  some  mark  on 
them  and  a corresponding  mark  on  the  pattern,  so  that  it  will  be 
known  where  the  pieces  belong.  A portion  of  the  vine  being  thus 


33 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


removed,  the  leaves  immediately  joining  it  can  be  cut  out,  making 
one  piece  of  the  leaf  and  its  stem.  The  remainder  of  the  design 
can  be  sawed  in  the  same  way,  and  in  doing  this  it  will  be  noticed 
that  it  has  been  necessary  to  drill  but  one  hole  for  the  saw  aside 
from  those  made  for  cutting  the  veins.  After  cutting  out  the 
leaves  and  vine,  the  woods  can  be  separated  with  a knife-blade. 
Never  mind  the  outside  of  the  paper-knife  at  present ; that  will  be 
shaped  hereafter. 

Now  take  one  of  the  pieces,  the  black,  for  example,  and  lay  it 
on  a sheet  of  paper  on  the  table.  Pick  out  the  green  leaves  and 
lay  them  in  the  proper  places  (no  glue  to  be  used  at  present),  and 
lay  in  also  a white  vine,  and  the  little  pieces  of  black  that  go 
between  the  stems  and  the  vine.  When  these  are  all  in  place, 
take  a strip  of  paper,  the  size  of  the  black  wood,  smear  it  with 
mucilage  or  paste,  place  it  upon  the  inlay,  and  keep  a weight  upon 
it  until  dry.  Then  take  the  other  woods  and  put  in  the  leaves 
and  vines  of  the  different  colors,  and  paste  on  the  paper  in  the  same 
way  as  above.  For  the  two  pieces  of  one-sixteenth  wood  glue  the 
holly  leaves  and  vine  into  the  walnut,  and  vice  versa , as  described 
in  making  the  oak-leaf  paper-knives,  and  when  the  glue  has  hard- 
ened, scrape  off  the  paper,  smooth  them,  fill  the  holes  if  necessary, 
and  shape  the  outside. 

Now  to  make  paper-knives  out  of  the  veneers.  If  there  are 
six  of  them  they  will  make  three  knives.  Cut  three  strips  of  one- 
sixteenth  holly  the  size  of  the  veneer.  These  are  for  the  centers, 
and  to  have  an  inlay  glued  to  each  side.  The  strips  of  paper 
pasted  on  the  veneers  were  to  hold  the  leaves  in  their  places  till 
they  were  ready  for  use.  Have  the  glue  ready,  smear  it  freely  on 
both  sides  of  the  holly,  and  apply  a veneer  on  each  side,  with  the 


SHADING. 


39 


paper  outside ; then  clamp  them  tightly  together,  being  careful 
that  the  veneers  do  not  slide  out  of  position.  When  dry,  scrape 
off  the  paper,  till  the  lines  with  glue  where  needed,  and  when 
this  has  dried,  sandpaper  smooth,  shape  the  outside  as  in  the  de- 
sign, sharpen  the  edges  with  tile  and  sandpaper,  and  then  polish 
the  whole ; and  behold  a very  pretty  paper-knife,  the  two  sides  of 
different  colors. 

After  these  two  examples  have  been  carefully  done  the  amateur 
can  attempt  more  intricate  pieces,  and  will  have  little  difficulty. 

SHADING. 

It  is.  frequently  desirable  to  shade  different  parts  of  inlaid 
woods,  to  give  them  a rounded  appearance,  and  this  is  done  in 
a very  simple  manner. 

Take  a small  iron  pot  or  pan,  partly  filled  with  dry,  fine 
sand,  and  place  it  upon  the  fire.  When  the  sand  is  well  heated,, 
press  into  it  a piece  of  light  wood,  and  notice  how  the  wood  is 
browned.  If  pressed  too  deep  or  held  too  long  in  the  sand,  the 
lower  edge  will  be  charred ; therefore,  it  is  necessary  to  keep 
withdrawing  the  wood,  so  as  not  to  scorch  too  much,  and  to 
watch  the  effect.  A few  experiments  on  waste  wood  in  this  way 
will  familiarize  the  amateur  with  the  process  and  enable  him  to 
do  some  very  good  shading.  Holly  and  maple,  and  other  light 
woods,  can  be  used  for  this  purpose.  In  shading  inlays  care  must 
be  taken  to  use  only  perfectly  dry  woods,  as  the  scorching  may 
so  shrink  the  woods  that  they  will  not  fit  in  their  places.  It 
would  be  well,  therefore,  to  dry  or  bake  the  woods  well  before 
sawing. 


40 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


SAWING  ON  A BEVEL. 

There  is  another  way  to  inlay,  by  sawing  the  woods  on  a 
bevel.  For  instance,  take  two  pieces  of  dark  and  two  of  light 
wood,  and  tack  them  together  as  in  the  illustration  below. 

IIIIIIIIIIMIP  l 

The  piece  cut  out  of  No.  1 will  fit  close  in  No.  2,  and  that 
from  No.  3 in  No.  4;  also,  the  light  piece  from  No.  2 will  fit 
in  No.  3.  To  saw  in  this  way,  when  using  the  hand-saw,  the 
wooden  rest  can  be  easily  inclined  to  the  proper  angle,  while 
the  saw  itself  is  to  be  worked  perpendicularly,  as  in  ordinary 
sawing.  Some  of  the  treadle  machines  have  beveling  attachments 
made  for  this  kind  of  work.  The  amateur  will  find,  however, 
that  the  manner  of  inlaying  first  described  will  answer  for  all 
ordinary  purposes. 

A JEWEL  BOX. 

A very  pretty  way  in  which  to  use  inlays  is  to  glue  them  to 
the  tops  of  small  wooden  boxes,  such  as  jewel  boxes  and  the  like. 
The  inlay  is  to  be  prepared  in  the  same  way  as  those  for  the 
ivy-leaf  paper-knife,  the  veneer  being  cut  somewhat  larger  than 
the  top  of  the  box.  It  is  then  to  be  glued  to  the  cover,  and  at  the 
same  time  a veneer  must  be  glued  on  the  inside,  to  prevent 
the  cover  from  warping.  Afterward  the  edges  can  be  filed  off 
flush  with  the  sides  of  the  box,  or  rounded,  as  desired,  and  the 
top  polished. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


SILHOUETTES. 

THERE  are  few  articles  made  with  the  scroll-saw  prettier  or 
more  ornamental  than  silhouettes.  Sheets  of  these  designs 
are  generally  for  sale  at  book  stores  and  by  dealers  in  sawing 
materials,  and  cost  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  cents  per  sheet. 
Many  beautiful  designs  can  also  be  found  in  books  illustrated  by 
Konewka  and  other  artists,  and  frequently  in  books  for  children. 
The  following  design  will  serve  for  an  example : 


42 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


This  can  be  cut  from  ebony,  either  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch 
thick,  or  any  other  close  grained  wood  of  that  thickness,  or  from 
veneers.  The  various  colors  of  dyed  veneers  will  be  found  very 
useful  for  making  silhouettes.  The  wood  must  be  made  perfect- 
ly smooth  before  tracing  the  pattern.  It  is  essential  in  this 
class  of  work,  as  well  as  for  inlaying,  to  use  only  the  finest 
quality  of  saw  blades,  those  with  perfect  and  regular  teeth.  A 
No.  0 or  1 blade  should  be  used,  except  for  the  most  delicate 
parts,  such  as  the  lips,  hair,  eyelashes,  etc.,  which  require  a 
No.  000.  Where  veneers  are  used,  they  should  be  held  or  glued 
between  two  thicker  woods  to  prevent  their  breaking. 

Silhouettes  are  used  in  a variety  of  ways ; either  by  overlay- 
ing on  a sheet  of  polished  wood,  or  by  mounting  them  on  a 
piece  of  moulding,  with  a slit  sawed  in  it  lengthwise. 

If  the  amateur  has  a first-class  treadle  machine,  he  can  easily 
decorate  the  walls  of  a room  by  applying  silhouettes  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner : Procure  a quantity  of  some  cheap  veneer,  such 
as  walnut  or  holly  or  rosewood,  and  cut  into  strips  about  six 
inches  wide,  and  square  at  the  ends.  Sandpaper  them  smooth, 
and  finish  with  shellac  or  polish.  Then  select  a number  of 
designs,  the  more  the  better,  and  saw  half-a-dozen  or  more  of 
each.  Glue  these,  at  regular  intervals,  and  on  a line,  to  the 
strips  of  veneer.  These  can  then  be  tacked  to  the  wall,  all  the 
way  around  the  room,  a few  inches  below  the  ceiling.  By  a 
tasteful  selection  of  designs,  and  careful  fitting  of  the  strips, 
one  can  in  this  way  beautify  his  home  at  a trifling  expense. 


SILHOUETTE  LIKENESSES. 


43 


SILHOUETTE  LIKENESSES. 

The  following  is  an  ingenious  way  for  cutting  silhouette  like- 
nesses of  children  and  others  for  overlaying.  With  a strong  light 
throw  the  shadow  of  the  child’s  head  (in  profile)  on  a sheet  of 
paper  tacked  against  the  wall.  Quickly  trace  the  features,  shape 
of  head,  etc.,  with  a pencil.  A little  practice  will  enable  any  one 
to  make  admirable  likenesses  in  this  way.  Then,  with  a penta- 
graph  — an  instrument  for  reducing  or  enlarging  drawings,  for 
sale  generally  'wherever  artists’  materials  are  kept,  from  one  dollar 
up  — make  a reduced  sketch  of  the  head,  as  small  as  desired. 
This  can  then  be  applied  to  the  wood,  and  cut  out  in  silhouette 
as  before  described.  In  this  simple  way  any  one  can  decorate  an 
easel  or  bracket,  or  any  other  article  of  fretwork,  with  an  accu- 
rate profile  likeness  of  some  friend. 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  DESIGNS. 


PLATE  I. 


IGUE.E  1.  Design  for  bracket,  fully  described  in  Chapter  V. 


Figure  2.  Design  for  card  basket.  This  can  be  made  from 
one-sixteenth  holly,  satin  or  walnut,  or  from  one-eighth  wood.  If 
of  holly  or  other  light-colored  wood,  the  veins  in  the  leaves  can  be 
traced  with  a fine  pen  in  India  ink ; also  the  edges  of  the  leaves, 
where  they  overlap  each  other  or  the  border  of  design.  For  a 
square  card  basket,  cut  out  four  sides,  and  a base  two  and  three- 
fourths  inches  square ; drill  holes  where  marked,  and  tie  the  whole 
together  with  silk  thread  or  narrow  ribbon. 


Design  for  a card  picture  frame.  The  ivy -leaf  can  be  either 


PLATE  II. 


Design  for  an  easel  as  described  in  Chapter  YI. 


plate  in. 


44 


DESCRIPTION  OF  DESIGNS. 


45 


overlaid  or  inlaid.  For  overlaying,  use  either  veneers  or  one- 
sixteenth  woods. 


PLATE  IV. 

Three  designs  for  paper-knives;  two  for  inlaying  and  one  for 
open  work.  Any  other  letters  can  easily  be  substituted  for  those 
in  pattern. 

plate  v. 

Design  for  a card  picture  frame,  either  for  inlaying  or  over- 
laying. 


PLATE  VI. 

Design  for  a card  picture  frame.  The  back,  to  hold  the  picture 
can  be  made  as  described  in  Chapter  X,  and  the  veins  in  leaves 
either  traced  in  India  ink  or  cut  with  saw. 


PLATE  VII. 

Design  for  end  of  bookstand.  Cut  from  polished  wood,  either 
one-eighth  or  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  thick.  Make  two  of 
them.  Then  take  two  pieces  of  one-quarter  or  three-eighths  wood, 
the  upper  one  four  and  five-eighths,  and  lower  one  five  and  a half 
inches  wide,  and  as  long  as  desired.  Fasten  the  ends  of  bookstand 
to  these  with  round-headed  screws.  Ordinary  countersunk  screws 
should  not  be  used,  as  they  might  split  the  wood  in  driving  tight. 


46 


SORRENTO  AND  INLAID  WORK. 


If  the  above  pieces  of  wood  are  cut  thirteen  inches  long  the  book- 
stand will  be  just  the  right  size  to  hold  the  sixteen  volumes  of  the 
“ Little  Classics.”  A small  silhouette  should  be  glued  to  the  center 
of  the  shield  before  the  stand  is  put  together.  A bookstand  made 
in  this  style  will  be  found  very  convenient,  as  the  top  makes  a nice 
shelf  for  standing  various  articles. 


PLATE  VIII. 

Design  for  a card  picture  frame,  similar  to  Plate  YI,  but  with  a 
different  style  of  ivy -leaf. 

PLATE  IX. 

Design  for  a shrine  card  frame.  This  can  be  cut  from  one- 
sixteenth  or  one-eighth  wood.  The  two  doors  or  gates  are  to  be 
fastened  on  with  hinges.  For  this  rustic  and  pretty  pattern  the 
author  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Chris.  Arnold,  of  Chicago,  a designer  and 
scroll  sawyer  of  considerable  merit. 

PLATES  X TO  XIV. 

Various  silhouettes. 

PLATES  XV  AND  XVI. 

Initial  letters. 

To  use  these  designs,  take  a sheet  of  thin  letter  copying- 
paper,  place  it  upon  the  pattern  and  trace  the  lines  with  a sharp 


DESCRIPTION  OE  DESIGNS. 


47 


lead  pencil.  After  this  is  done,  paste  this  thin  paper  on  a sheet 
of  white  paper  or  card  and  apply  to  the  wood  as  heretofore 
described.  The  copying-paper  needs  to  be  pasted  on  white  paper 
to  make  the  pencil  marks  more  distinct. 


PLATE  I. 


PLATE  II. 


••"lllllll 


MNOr 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


The  Centennial  Prize  Medal 

THE  ONLY  ONE  AWARDED  FOR 

FOOT-POWER  SAWS, 

GIVEN  TO 

’ey  HI  IP  BRO S. 

WILMINGTON,  DEL. 

THE 

FLEETWOOD  SCROLL  SAW 

For  all  descriptions  of  light  Scroll  or  Fret 
Sawing  in 

Wood,  Bone,  Ivory,  Shell  or  Metal. 

ITS  ADVANTAGES  ARE 

SIMPLICITY  of  Construction. 
STRENGTH  of  all  the  parts, 

COMPACT  and  GRACEFUL  Form, 
QUIET  MOVEMENT  and  the 

LOW  PRICE  at  which  it  is  sold. 


5,000  of  these  Machines  have  been  sold  to 
Amateurs,  Jewelers,  Model  Makers,  Shell 
Workers,  Printers,  Ladies, 

Boys  and  Girls. 


Brackets,  Easels,  Picture  Frames.  Boxes,1 Table  Mats, 

ETC.  ETC.,  IN  OPEN  SCROLL, 

INLAID  OR  MOSAIC  WORK. 


For  Rapidity,  Precision,  Ease  op  Work- 
ing, Durability  and  Superior  Finish, 
these  Machines  are  not  equaled. 


Price  S 13  to  $25.-  — 

For  artistic  work  and  delicate  cutting,  especially  INLAYING  or  MOSAIC  OVERLAYING 
and  the  cutting  of  SILHOLTETTES,  the  Fleetwood  surpasses  all  others.  Indeed,  it  is  the 
only  Machine  that  will  retain  that  delicacy  of  cutting  and  expression  which  are  essentia]  in 
artistic  work.  This  feature  in  the  Fleetwood  is  attained  by  careful  workmanship,  good  material, 
and  the  general  design  of  the  Machine,  which  is  based  upon  true  mechanical  principles. 

The  Machines  are  warranted  in  all  respects  as  represented.  Each  one  is  carefully  tried  beiore 
leaving  the  factory,  and  if  not  right  in  every  particular  is  not  sent  out. 


Amateur  Wood  Workers 

FURNISHED  WITH  ALL  THE 

CHOICE  AND  FANCY  WOODS. 

Planed  and  unplaned,  of  any  thickness,  from  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  up,  and  in 
any  quantity  down  to  a single  board.  The  following  is  a list  of  the 
principal  kinds  constantly  on  hand : 

BLACK  WALNUT,  WHITE  HOLLY,  ROSEWOOD, 

MAHOGANY,  SATINWOOD,  HUNGARIAN  ASH, 

WHITE  ASH.  AMARANTH,  THUYA, 

TULIP,  EBONY,  COCOBALO, 

CALIFORNIA  ROSEWOOD,  BIRDSEYE  MAPLE,  CURLED  MAPLE, 
BUTTERNUT,  OAK,  CHERRY, 

POPLAR,  RED  CEDAR,  WHITE  CEDAR, 

SPANISH  CEDAR,  ETC..  ETC.  ETC,,  ETC. 

Enclose  3-cent  stamp  for  Catalogue  and  Price  List,  in  which  full  particulars  are 
given  to  assist  parties  in  making  out  their  orders. 


WHOLESALE  DEALERS 

Are  directed  to  our  General  Price  List,  and  their  attention  solicited  to  our  large 

and  attractive  stock  of 

Hard  Wood  Lumber  and  Yeneers, 

Which  for  Quality,  Quantity,  and  Inducement  of  Prices,  merits  the  consideration 

of  close  buyers. 


SPANISH  AND  WHITE  CEDAR. 

RACING  BOAT  STOCK,  EXTRA  LENGTH  AND  QUALITY. 


Geoege  w.  Bead  & Co. 

STEAM  BAND  SAW  AND  VENEER  MILL, 

Nos.  186  to  200  Lewis  Street, 

Foot  of  Fifth  to  Sixth  Street,  E.  R.  NEW  YORK. 


THE 


Dexter  Machine, 

Patented  October,  1876, 

A Light-Running,  Rapid-Cutting  Machine,  Thoroughly  Made 
and  Very  Durable. 

Price,  with  Half-dozen  Saws,  $(i.OO. 


SEND  FOR  DESCRIPTIVE  CIRCULAR  AND  ILLUSTRATED  LIST  OF  DESIGNS. 

TRUMP  BROS. 


Wilmington,  Del 


'pIR$T~£iJA$3  'V^OpK  y\T  pyVlR  pF(ICE3. 


DRAWING  INSTRUMENTS,  PANTOGRAPHS 
AND  ENGRAVER'S  OUTFITS. 


Sll  of  ¥00!^. 


PRINTER’S  SET. 


Six  Tools,  ready  for  use,  $2.50. 


Twelve  Tools,  ready  for  use,  $5.00. 


SEND  STAMP  FOR  PRICE  LIST. 


Established  in  184*9. 


Z/4  //6  C'/f . 


8 0 %aA6>-/irle^kz 

MWM  ©RIB HSiSa 


A full  stock  of  all  kinds  of  Saws,  Saw  Gummers,  Emery  Wheels,  Mill  and  Taper  Files,  Perm's 
French  Band  Saw  Blades,  Knickerbocker  Ice  Tools.  Repairing  promptly  attended  to. 

Send  for  Catalogue  of  Prices. 

BRANCH,  CROOKES  & CO. 

ttS  Lake  St.,  cor.  of  Franklin,  Chicago. 


BUY  THE  IMPROVED 


HOME 


SHUTTLE 

Sewing  Machine. 


It  has  no  superior  as  a First-Class  Lock-Stitch  Sewing  Machine.  It  is  the  Cheapest  in  the 
World.  Large  discounts  for  cash. 

AGENTS  WANTED  EVERYWHERE. 

Machines  sent  on  trial  to  any  part  of  the  country  at  our  expense  if  not  accepted.  Send  for  latest 
circulars  and  terms  to  cash  purchasers,  or  call  and  examine  when  in  the  city. 

JOHNSON,  CLARK  & CO.,  Manufacturers, 

No.  141  State  Street , Chicago. 
Send  for  circular,  and  he  sure  and  say  where  yon  saw  this  card. 


